Jamie Oliver

"We're losing the war against obesity in the U.S.," says chef Jamie Oliver. "Our kids are growing up overweight and malnourished from a diet of processed foods, and today's children will be the first generation ever to live shorter lives than their parents. " About 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 6 children are obese, according the Centers for Disease Control , and such obesity-related diseases as Type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer have become leading causes of death in our country.

Retail sales climbed 0.3% in November from the previous month as consumers increased spending on cars and electronics, the federal government reported. Categories that include building materials and sporting goods also led gains in consumer spending last month, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Sales at gas stations saw the biggest declines last month, reflecting a fall in gasoline prices in November. November's gain, while lower than expected, follows a 0.3% decrease in retail sales in October, compared to September.

Boyish chef Jamie Oliver moved past Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling on British bestseller lists this week, the Guardian reports. Their books were released on the same day, Sept. 27. Oliver has penned a cookbook, "15 Minute Meals. " His cookbooks are perennially popular, landing at or near the top of British bestseller lists. While Rowling is also a bestseller, her novel released this year was not guaranteed to be a hit. She left Harry Potter behind and penned her first book for adults, "The Casual Vacancy.

A former employee of Beef Products Inc. is suing ABC News, anchor Diane Sawyer, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and others, saying that their use of the phrase “pink slime” ultimately cost him his job. Bruce Smith was among 750 people laid off by the South Dakota beef processor earlier this year amid fears over the safety and quality of a meat product dubbed “pink slime” by critics.  The product, known in the industry as lean finely textured beef,...

A former employee of Beef Products Inc. is suing ABC News, anchor Diane Sawyer, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and others, saying that their use of the phrase “pink slime” ultimately cost him his job. Bruce Smith was among 750 people laid off by the South Dakota beef processor earlier this year amid fears over the safety and quality of a meat product dubbed “pink slime” by critics.  The product, known in the industry as lean finely textured beef,...

Two years ago, star British chef Jamie Oliver set up Cheeky Chops, a charity foundation that would put 15 disadvantaged, unemployed young people annually into an all-expenses-paid training program that would turn them into professional cooks. Naturally, there had to be some kitchen ground rules: No drinking, no drugs, no sexual fraternizing. That didn't work. What about just showing up for class? As it turned out, they weren't good at that, either.

Let's get this out of the way up front: No, "The Naked Chef" is not really naked. In fact, the Naked Chef, a.k.a. Jamie Oliver, says he really hated the title when the producers of his BBC cooking show first came up with it as a way to describe his stripped-down style of cooking, with its emphasis on basic ingredients and straightforward preparation. "Tacky," he says.

These are scary times for advertisers. New technologies such as digital video recorders are giving consumers the ability to avoid marketing messages, and that means the advertising of the future will have to do more than the advertising of today. It will no longer be enough for companies to interrupt television programs to tell people about products. They will need to produce communications of various kinds that are so entertaining or so helpful that consumers will seek them out.

Los Angeles school district officials were wary of a celebrity chef's reality television show precisely because they wanted to avoid the conflict and drama they know the genre can bring. The district said no, yet the conflict and drama still came. Jamie Oliver, the British chef, focused the second season of his ABC television show, "Food Revolution," on Los Angeles public schools. In Tuesday night's premiere, Oliver was a defiant rabble-rouser challenging the superintendent and school board who were stonewalling his mission to bring in healthy food and combat rampant obesity.

Jamie Oliver, the English chef who took on the "lunch ladies" of Huntington, W.Va., in an attempt to make school food more healthful, has been told thanks but no thanks by the Los Angeles Unified School District. "Our feeling was that his time would be better spent or invested in other communities," Melissa Infusino, the director of partnerships in the superintendent's office, said Friday. Oliver is bringing his "Food Revolution" reality television show to L.A. for its second season, and he and his family plan to move to the area in January, a spokeswoman said.

Boyish chef Jamie Oliver moved past Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling on British bestseller lists this week, the Guardian reports. Their books were released on the same day, Sept. 27. Oliver has penned a cookbook, "15 Minute Meals. " His cookbooks are perennially popular, landing at or near the top of British bestseller lists. While Rowling is also a bestseller, her novel released this year was not guaranteed to be a hit. She left Harry Potter behind and penned her first book for adults, "The Casual Vacancy.

The chef at Someone Cares Soup Kitchen is accustomed to preparing meals for hundreds of people using donated meat, vegetables and fruit. But on a recent afternoon in Costa Mesa, the chefs of Internet cooking sensation "Epic Meal Time" were raising a skeptical eyebrow. Among the "epic" meals added to the lunch menu: Fast Food Lasagna (whose main ingredient is 45 McDonald's cheeseburgers), the Angry French Canadian (an adaptation of the Quebec dish poutine, on this day made with French fries, bacon and cheddar cheese and topped with brown gravy and maple syrup)

YELP, DRAMATIZED A video series of professional actors reading Yelp reviews . It's moving. (Gawker) WHITE RUSKIES Momofuku's cereal milk meets White Russian : the recipe.  (Leite's Culinaria) MEATLESS MONDAY FLAP The beef industry isn't pleased when a USDA staffer suggests "Meatless Mondays" in the cafeteria. (Los Angeles Times) JAMIE OLIVER VS. DAVID BECKHAM Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver criticizes athletes such as soccer star David Beckham who promote junk food for endorsement deals.

"We're losing the war against obesity in the U.S.," says chef Jamie Oliver. "Our kids are growing up overweight and malnourished from a diet of processed foods, and today's children will be the first generation ever to live shorter lives than their parents. " About 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 6 children are obese, according the Centers for Disease Control , and such obesity-related diseases as Type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer have become leading causes of death in our country.

"Fact: Diet-related disease is the biggest killer in the United States, right now, here today," said Jamie Oliver in his 2010 "TedTalks" presentation . "Your child will live a life 10 years younger than you because of the landscape of food that we've built around them. " Is it child abuse? Oliver argues that it is, and that in addition to nourishing our children, we should also educate them on how and what to eat. His critics accuse him of overstepping and say he should pack up and go back to Britain.

So how did Kevin Systrom take Instagram from just another photo-sharing app to a $1-billion payday? L.A. Times technology reporter Jessica Guynn provided a glimpse when she chatted with the entrepreneur last summer for the popular “How I Made It” Sunday profile. You can read the full story here , but here are some quick hits on how Systrom made it big at the ripe old age of 28. Love what you do: Instagram grew out of Systrom's passion for photography.

YELP, DRAMATIZED A video series of professional actors reading Yelp reviews . It's moving. (Gawker) WHITE RUSKIES Momofuku's cereal milk meets White Russian : the recipe.  (Leite's Culinaria) MEATLESS MONDAY FLAP The beef industry isn't pleased when a USDA staffer suggests "Meatless Mondays" in the cafeteria. (Los Angeles Times) JAMIE OLIVER VS. DAVID BECKHAM Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver criticizes athletes such as soccer star David Beckham who promote junk food for endorsement deals.

HOT: Maternal Charlize Theron Churchill on Sundays Snow cones Scott Conant (Scarpetta executive chef) crush NOT: Awesome and mean "Young Adult" Charlize Theron The Hudson on Sundays Cupcakes Jamie Oliver ("Food Revolution") crush — Matt Donnelly

HOT: Maternal Charlize Theron Churchill on Sundays Snow cones Scott Conant (Scarpetta executive chef) crush NOT: Awesome and mean "Young Adult" Charlize Theron The Hudson on Sundays Cupcakes Jamie Oliver ("Food Revolution") crush — Matt Donnelly

SUNDAY The hills are once again alive with the sound of music – courtesy of the storied Vienna Philharmonic — when living legend Julie Andrews, below, hosts "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2012" on a new "Great Performances. " (KOCE, 6 p.m.) What's cooking — or rather, who's cooking? In the new series "Rachael vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off," the redoubtable Ms. Ray and the fearsome Mr. Fieri lead the likes of comic Cheech Marin and rapper Coolio in culinary competition.